Behind The Shadow
by Thoughtful Tikal
Summary: His real identity didn't lie that much farther away and here was this Shadow Beauty, suggesting accompanying the 'shadow' on his perilous quest.


"Come on, I'd be glad to help you get your name and body back."

Mario wanted to believe Vivian was being honest about this. His real identity didn't lie that much farther away and here was this Shadow Beauty, suggesting accompanying the 'shadow' on his perilous quest.

She looked him in the eyes and eventually gained permission. "Alright then! So, would you mind showing me the way to where this guy is?"

"Sure," Mario forced a tad enthusiasm to his voice.

To the hero's surprise, the beginning of their adventure turned out pretty great.

Vivian jabbed and punched with as much power as her fists would let her, leaving their opponents to a scorching crisp.

Those Amazee Dazees and Hyper Clefts had no idea who they were pitting themselves up against.

It'd been a wonderful idea that Mario equipped his Ice Hammer Badge, because he and Vivian could continue along their path while different foes remained trapped in thick glaciers, and praying so badly that the forest's twilight disappeared so the sun could make its entrance and set them free.

During one battle with four Hyper Para-Goombas, Vivian had to act quickly and utilize her technique called 'Veil' in order to save her ally from being killed.

The whole time both she and him were making their way towards a possible haven, the shadow couldn't help but pin more and more blame onto her self. It'd been thanks to her silly, romantic fantasies about Mario that he'd almost been stabbed by one of the Hyper Para-Goomba's deadly spikes.

That same image of a close death played in her mind over and over; and there was no way of brushing it aside.

"Vivian? Vivian?"

"Huh?" She looked up and realized they'd made it beside a rocky wall, plus Mario had ignited their campfire. Obviously the idea sounded pointless since twilight was never-ending, but the fact that the weather had become so chilly didn't change.

So the duo remained in front of the crackling embers, Mario stretching his hands forward so they could receive heat. Because he carried his special hammer, the last thing the Jump-man needed was frostbitten hands.

"Oh, sorry… so, it seems we found a safe enough spot for us to rest in."

"Yep, but still, if I knew it were going to get this cold, then I would've asked Dour if I could borrow some extra gloves," Mario started rubbing his palms together.

After this statement, the atmosphere grew silent, leaving only the campfire and grasshoppers to talk.

As Mario was weary from their excessive battling, Vivian stayed intact with the situation of her 'failure'.

"So…" Mario looked up and straightened his back as his companion began to speak.

"If you don't mind me asking, just how did you end up here in Twilight Town?"

He could only gulp before taking a deep breath and giving an explanation.

"How did I end up here…? Well, I…"

This response made her lean closer. She was practically dying to hear what her comrade had to say.

It hadn't been just the campfire's fault that Mario was sweating like crazy. "You see, since I'm what you call a 'shadow', I just decided to be where there's not so much light. Y-you know what I mean?"

"Yes, of course!" How glad Vivian was that Mario chose these words, or she would've stayed in a depressive mood, and the Shadow Beauty knew that he'd soon notice it. "I can't speak for the people who live in normal sunlight, but it's a lifestyle that I feel like I'd just have trouble adapting to. I mean, maybe if for a good reason I had to go there, but otherwise, no, a place like this is so easy to live in."

Vivian kept the words from her mouth coming, grateful still that Mario broke the silence. She would've kept chattering, except the female noticed Mario reach for something from his pocket.

"Is that a mushroom?"

"Yeah, I eat these all the time when I grow weak or just need something to fill my stomach. And the ones that come in blue like this are my favorite."

Vivian had heard about these delectable items, but never actually saw one until now.

It indeed looked great to put on something like pizza, or spaghetti… but if it were for Mario to eat, then Vivian would go beyond those simple Italian dishes; something more along the lines of Mushroom Cake, a medium rare Mushroom steak, or even a baked Jelly Shroom.

Now that this last idea of dessert came to mind, Vivian could just taste how sweet and moist the dish would be, and more importantly, how pleased he would be after eating it. A rewarding passionate kiss on the cheek was sure to come after then, then maybe marriage. Who knew?

All of a sudden, Vivian's wonderful fantasy was ruined yet again, but this time by the noise of her stomach grumbling. Of course, after so long, the shadow would grow hungry, but-

"Vivian?"

"Hm?"

"How about we split this down the middle and each have a piece?"

"Oh… sure, why not?"

Vivian didn't think about this, but accepted her halve with pleasure as Mario handed it to her. It was in fact a sensible idea to share; Mario could always be such a sweet man when he wanted to be.

While chewing her first piece, Vivian sent Mario a relieved smile, but gasped as if her air had been taken away. Could it have been the mushroom?

"Oh yeah, there was something I forgot to mention about this mushroom," Mario rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "All of your energy comes back once you eat it. And since this is your first time, your body still needs time getting used to it."

"Oh? Well, thanks for the heads-up."

"No problem."

Like Vivian had explained, the sky's twilight was the best thing about this mysterious land they were in. From her perspective, it was confirmed that way because it made the perfect romantic atmosphere. Who could say it didn't make lovers want to watch its glowing sunset and never want to let go of each other?

Sometimes Vivian imagined Mario and herself in that scenario. It were sort of that way right now… maybe they weren't sitting as close, or feeling so much of the same mood, but girls had the full liberty to dream if they ever so wanted.

Mario yawned then said aloud, "I think I'm gonna call it a day and go to sleep."

"Hm hm hm! What you should say is you think you're going to call it a twilight. Get it? It's always twilight, so…"

Going ahead and hushing herself was the best thing for Vivian to do. Although that wasn't to say Mario laughed or became annoyed at her sloppy joke. He could understand why she said it, but he was becoming sleepier by the second.

Vivian wondered while she motioned to lay down herself, if that special 'four letter word' made people act silly as she had just minutes ago. It seemed to give her a tingling feeling inside her stomach whenever she looked directly at Mario or if he glanced at her. But the negative part of it all was the confusion it left in her.

For all the Shadow Beauty knew, Mario could disappear after she helped him recover his stolen possessions, or just say, "I don't know if I feel the same way."

Thousands of possibilities invaded her mind, and one came right after another.

* * *

><p>And so the next day, now energized and prepared for their upcoming challenges, Mario noticed his partner was lagging a bit as they walked. Something was different about the shadow, but he just couldn't place his finger on it.<p>

"Are you alright? That mushroom didn't do more than what I said it would to you, did it?"

"No, I just had trouble sleeping last night. Maybe if you have more of them, then I could…" She didn't want to be rude, but being the kind gentleman that he was, Mario handed her a regular Mushroom without deciding to split it in half.

He'd let her have the whole thing… to herself.

Her cheeks blushed with scarlet after he returned forward and she munched on her breakfast.

Their destination was nothing like Vivian thought it would be. It'd be neat for something like a Halloween Party, but since it was the home of her ally's 'enemy', then… not too bad for an evil hideout.

"Wow… this place has so much creepiness about it." Vivian stood beside Mario.

"Maybe that's why they call it Creepy Steeple."

"Oh, that's its name? Well, let's let ourselves in through the gate."

A metal chain kept the crooked gates sealed, but would Vivian let that stop her?

"There!" the shadow melted the links with her fire and watched the pieces melt and fall to the ground. Whoever had locked this opening seemed to not want any visitors.

"Hmm… maybe the guy knew you were coming back, and decided to chain this gate up? But no worries, since I've melted it with my flames," Vivian smiled.

"Yeah, thanks."

Her heart started to thump sooner than she'd thought it would.

Mario continued as they walked onward with, "I wanna thank you also for deciding to come here with me. I couldn't have done it on my own."

That last sentence echoed through Vivian's head and made her heart beat even faster. She hoped that things would grow more emotional and that Mario would keep talking.

"So, you ready to go inside?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm ready!"

There she had to go again, and awake herself from her girlish fantasy. Some time soon, it had to come true, but how it would all happen, Vivian wasn't sure.

The interior of Creepy Steeple surprised the duo just as much as it's exterior. Stained glass of different colors took place as the windows, both walls and floor were made from dark cobblestone, and… the room was absolutely quiet.

Mario studied the place carefully with Vivian doing the exact same. And as they kept along the soft carpet, a giant statue appeared closer every passing second. Sculptured on top of it was a Crystal Star.

"Hmmm…" Mario placed a hand to his chin as they stopped in front of it.

Whoever his new foe was, they carried a general knowledge about Crystal Stars; that had to have been the case since a statue with one on it was in their mansion.

"Hey, come and take a look at this."

"What is it?" Mario obeyed Vivian and walked towards the other side of the statue, and found a very interesting clue.

"Because of this dark square on the floor, it looks like someone moved this statue."

"So you think we should push it back to its original spot and see what happens?"

"Sure, why not?"

Neither shadow was hesitant about gathering their strength and pushing the large object back into its first spot. It was inch by inch they had to move. Surely they'd only needed a few more centimeters, but for some odd reason, they felt themselves lose their balance and collapse towards a… different floor?

Mario groaned in pain while trying to get back on his feet.

"What did we just fall through?"

It didn't take long for Vivian to look at the ceiling and notice a square-shaped hole that looked about twelve feet away from them. But none of it made any sense.

"It was that hole up there!" Then she noticed Mario in his undeserved pain and began helping the fellow up along with dusting his clothes. "Oh Mario, are you alright? I'm so sorry! What was I thinking messing with that statue anyway?"

"No, I think you thought of just the right idea."

A puzzled expression took over Vivian's face, but then she saw Mario's eager smile and calmed down. He always did know how to lift her spirits.

"There's a door over there, and it could lead to the person who stole my name and body," Mario pointed towards their left where a blue door was located.

Maybe she was worrying too much, but having Mario fall made her feel very disappointed in her self. He'd already almost been stabbed, and now this happened. Any more screw ups, and he'd be… no, Vivian wouldn't dwell on the possibilities. Their only concerns at the moment were finding the person who stole his identity.

After Mario opened the door and let their selves in, he spotted a blue box placed in the center of the room.

It couldn't have been normal for a scene to be like this.

"Do you think maybe we'll find a clue inside this box?" asked Vivian as they studied it.

"That was my first thought too," Mario placed a hand to his chin, "Here, I'll do the honor of opening it."

Anything could've been inside this container for all the companions knew. But this served as a clue to their mission, so Mario didn't hesitate.

The minute he lifted its top, hundreds of white ghosts came popping out. In all of Mario's adventures, he had never seen anything like this; especially not with this many Boos. There had to be at least two hundred of them.

Vivian screamed as a few Boos noticed her and gave mischievous expressions. There could've been only one thing they wanted to do. And so while Mario was knocked to the ground, he could hear her cry, "Help me!"

A couple of these ghastly spirits had snatched up the Shadow Beauty and were making off with her through one of the walls.

"Vivian!" Mario did the best he could to run after his friend as means to rescue her, but could feel things grab and lift him into the air. Just what did they want with him and Vivian?

The next thing Mario knew, those mean Boos had taken him to the room down the hallway and locked its door.

* * *

><p>Still without an idea of what was going on, he decided to study his surroundings, found boxes and what not, but a peculiar thing lay in the left corner of the room. It was a green Parrot who looked like he hadn't been groomed for the past five years. Why a bird lurked inside this mansion Mario didn't know.<p>

Talking to it seemed like the best option; the only one he could try.

"Hey… birdie. Can you tell me where your owner is?"

It only turned around and stared at the shadow with its big eyes.

"It's really important that I find out because all of my friends are in trouble. This guy even stole my body and name."

"Did you say he stole your body and name?"

Mario nodded silently. He waited for what this parrot was going to say, but ended up falling to the ground when he heard him say, "Well helping you with that won't be free."

"Are you saying I have to pay you something?"

"Duh! You think I like being trapped behind these bars? Nobody ever wonders if I'm in need of saving. So what if he stole your identity. I've been inside this cage even before Super Mushrooms were concocted!"

"I've never been behind bars before, but if I don't find out where your owner is, then the whole world will be in trouble too!"

The parrot had to think about what was being said. Earth was a pretty huge place and all. It would be horrible if it were the thing that was in jeopardy.

"Alright, I'll tell you what. Instead of charging you a hundred coins, you have to promise to let me out of here after you find my owner."

"Fine, I promise I'll come back for you. Now please, just tell me where I can find him."

"Okay, okay, cool your jets already."

Mario couldn't thank this parrot enough.

"I can tell you where he is, but that won't be enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you wanna get your name and body back, then you have to guess his name."

"Well, what is it?"

"Doopliss is his name."

This parrot had to be kidding.

"Doo-pliss?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds a lot on the weird side, but everyone's their own person, I guess. Now move along, so you can come back and get me out of this cage."

Mario had the sole liberty of breaking the lock to escape this room, but what did the hero do first?

The parrot found this mysterious guy undoing the latch to his cage and opening its door.

"You know, for a shadow, you're not so bad."

"Thanks."

With that said, the parrot watched Mario undo the lock, then he flew after him as the shadow was taking his directions to Doopliss's whereabouts.

* * *

><p>Doopliss couldn't believe the spy his Boos had captured and brought to him inside a cage. Out of all people, why was one of the Shadow Sirens behind it? They were practically on the same team, but from what she'd said to his interrogations, she'd came with the person who wanted his name and body back; that was a very bad sign.<p>

But Doopliss couldn't let his 'new allies' know that he and Vivian knew each other.

The second he was about to give another query, everyone could hear a door be busted down. And when they looked, Mario and Doopliss's parrot were there.

"It's him! He came to save me!" Vivian thought in her mind.

"Huh? You again! And I see you've decided to kidnap my parrot as well? What a chump," Doopliss walked over to Mario, "You think you're so cool just because you've managed to reach this room, but think again! My friends here will make sure to lead you back to the front door."

As if on cue, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshi approached the sides of their thought-to-be comrade and prepared to battle their actual friend.

"You guys ready?" asked Goombella.

"Yeah," said Koops.

"Ready all the way," added Flurrie.

"I hope this dude likes eggs, because I've got a full load ready to send at him!" Yoshi declared.

Each of his allies locked their aim and was ready for battle, but… there was just one comment Mario wanted to make before their brawl.

"Before we do that, can I just say one thing?"

"What?" Doopliss asked with an impatient voice.

This was the moment Mario would love, he just knew it. The room stayed quiet for a few seconds as he readied himself to holler. All of his feelings towards being stripped of his alias would go along with it.

"Doo-pliss!"

Niether of Mario's friends understood what the point of this was, but once they looked over at Doopliss, they saw a most shocked and disbelieving expression on his face.

"W-w-w-w-w-what? No, this isn't fair! You guessed my name!"

And shortly after, Doopliss became enveloped a puff of white smoke. When the fog cleared away, his true form was revealed for everyone to see.

"What?" Everyone except for Mario and the parrot gasped; they were so surprised about this turn of events. So for the whole time, they were beside a villain.

When it came to Vivian, she didn't think one of her teammates was behind this whole scheme. But then she noticed her shadow friend and…

"It's…." she couldn't even speak when she'd come to the breaking realization. "Y-you're that Mario guy!"

And he should've been ready for this to take place. Now Mario felt stupid and didn't have anything to back up himself.

"Vivian-"

"This whole time I thought you were just somebody who needed help getting their name back—"

"But I was! Vivian, I can explain."

"No!"

Vivian could see by his face how her words hurt him, but it went the same for her. Here she was, falling for the enemy and finding out in a harsh manner.

"I can't believe it was you this whole time… now I don't know which side I want to fight for."

"Vivian, wait!"

She descended into the bottom of the cage before Mario could stop her.

Yoshi couldn't help but wonder, "Isn't she our enemy anyway? Why did Gonzalez team up with her?"

Flurrie took one look at Doopliss and noticed him begin to tip toe away.

"I believe there is still the situation of this Doopliss character to worry about."

"Darn, I've been noticed!"

Before he could really escape, Mario reached and pinned the ghost to the ground with his foot.

Doopliss wriggled and tried his best to squirm free, but to no avail did it work.

"Now that Mario's gotten back what's rightfully his, why don't you start by telling us where you're keeping the Red Crystal Star?" interrogated Goombella.

"The Red Crystal Star? Pfftt! Sorry, Goomba, but you've got the wrong guy!"

"Liar!" Yoshi punched a hole into Doopliss's television set.

"My T.V.! Hey, tell your little friend over there to scram!"

"I'll tell him if you tell me where the Crystal Star is!"

"Nuh uh!"

The parrot advised Yoshi with, "Hey, kid! Try putting a rip in his couch pillow. That'll make him talk."

"Traitor!" cried Doopliss. "Go ahead and side with these losers for all I care! I never liked parrots anyway!"

That was something Doopliss should've kept to himself.

"On second thought, maybe you could clip off the antennas to his T.V."

"No! Anything but that! Without those antennas, all I'd be able to get is the basic cable, and that's so lame! I'll tell you where the star is, but tell that brat to get away from my T.V.!"

"Fine. Yoshi, do what the ghost says."

Yoshi promptly did what he was asked.

"Now, tell us where the Crystal Star is."

"You all came to the wrong place, okay?"

"What?" exclaimed Koops. "But that mayor of Twilight Town said—"

"Well he told you wrong. It was up to me to hold the star, but our boss decided to give the job to someone else."

"Then who's holding it now?" asked Flurrie.

"Like I'd tell you!"

This Doopliss guy really was pushing his luck, as it didn't take long for Yoshi to get near his T.V. again and prepare to remove its antennas.

"Beldam and Marilyn! They're the ones who're holding it!" Doopliss pushed out before a single inch of the antenna was clipped.

Mario finally let go of the ghost and his friends and him started for the door.

"Well, thanks for your help, Doo-pliss!", Yoshi cackled as they walked down the spiraling stairs.

Doopliss shrieked and hid under his bed as he'd heard his name again.

Now that it'd been figured it out, it haunted him like a terrible nightmare; and to think it all started because of that mangy parrot of his.

But one thing was for sure; that stupid Mario and his lame friends wouldn't stand a chance against Beldam and Marilyn.


End file.
